The Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center in western Colorado was first alerted to the injured hiker at 2:17 p.m. Saturday, according to a from Mountain Rescue Aspen.

Search and rescue officials said the hiker, who has not been publicly identified, fell roughly 200 feet from Buckskin Pass.

That pass is a popular out-and-back hiking route spanning 9.3 miles with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain and is rated “hard” on a scale of easy to strenuous, . The trail can be extended to include Snowmass Lake, which increases the total distance to 17.5 miles and the total elevation gain to 5,049 feet, .

Recent reviews left by hikers on the website said that slippery, unpacked snow in higher elevations makes the trail unsafe for inexperienced hikers.

Mountain Rescue Aspen crews found the fallen hiker roughly 3.5 miles into the trail just after 3:45 p.m., according to the agency’s news release.

“Mountain Rescue Aspen conducted a medical assessment, stabilized injuries, and began helping the hiker back down to the trailhead,” officials stated in the release.

Once at the bottom of the trail, crews handed the hiker over to paramedics, who took the hiker to the hospital, according to Mountain Rescue Aspen. All rescue crews were out of the field by 5:45 p.m., according to the agency.

Search and rescue officials did not specify what caused the hiker to fall.

Climbers and hikers should be prepared for potential injuries in technical terrain, dress appropriately for changing mountain conditions, bring technical gear appropriate for the route and carry a two-way satellite communication device when traveling in remote areas, according to the release.

The near Maroon Lake is among Colorado’s most well-known destinations, recording about 215,000 visits annually between May and October. It is a gateway to the larger Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. But despite its popularity, the current recreation fee program and reservation system don’t come close to covering what it costs the Forest Service to manage the area.

Entry and camping reservation fees, as well as fees from amphitheater rentals, at Maroon Bells generate about $220,000 in revenue each year, but the agency spends about $600,000 to manage it, “resulting in a $380,000 funding gap not covered by the fees,” Forest Service spokesperson David Boyd told The Denver Post by email.

“Adequate staffing at Maroon Bells has been a challenge for the Forest Service for a number of years, in large part because of the high cost of living,” Boyd said.

The Forest Service began discussing the possibility of transferring management of the area to Pitkin County last summer, so that it can continue to be a world-class wilderness destination. Recently, they to make it happen.

The idea is to issue Pitkin County a special use permit that would effectively put local officials in charge of the day-to-day operations as well as maintenance of the trails and amenities, said Gary Tennenbaum, director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. That includes everything from running campgrounds and staffing the entrance station to cleaning bathrooms, taking out the trash and providing guests with water and electricity. Tennenbaum also anticipates partnering with other local organizations to clean up trails, restore areas of the forest, and provide education and information to visitors.

“Last year, they (the Forest Service) weren’t able to open all the bathrooms. They weren’t able to get the electricity and water going for people,” Tennenbaum said. “In the future, we’re going to be responsible for getting all that up and running. We’re going to make sure the bathrooms are in great shape. We’re going to make sure we’re dealing with noxious weeds, we’re dealing with trail management and maintenance — things that really they don’t have the capacity to deal with right now.”

If approved, the special use permit would be issued by summer 2027 and valid for five years, with the option to renew for another five years. The area would remain National Forest System land and under ownership of the federal government during that time.

This year, Tennenbaum and his colleagues in Pitkin County will be drafting an operating plan and fee structure that aims to balance the cost of managing the area with maintaining accessibility for the public. One thing he expects to see is an increase in the cost to park a car at Maroon Bells.

Right now, it costs $12.50 ($10 entry fee, plus $2.50 reservation fee) to bring a vehicle to the recreation area. That is likely to increase, Tennenbaum said, in hopes of incentivizing more people to use the currently existing shuttle service that runs from Aspen Highlands Ski Area to the Maroon Lake trailhead.

Costs to ride the shuttle, which is operated by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, may also increase slightly from where they sit at $16 per adult and $10 per child, when booked in advance. (Those who purchase a shuttle ticket day-of pay $20 per adult and $14 per child.)

“The costs of all this are a big deal, and that����ap going to be one of the biggest things — can the county cover their costs, but charge a fee that����ap reasonable?” he said, adding that officials will be soliciting public feedback on the subject this summer.

Even before this partnership is official, the Forest Service is instituting a $5 entry fee for e-bikes starting this summer to help increase revenue at Maroon Bells.

Tennenbaum described the deal as both a continuation and an expansion of Pitkin County’s partnership with the Forest Service. For 50 years, the county has helped manage parts of the Maroon Bells scenic area through various initiatives. For example, in 2026, the county is providing one full-time staff member to help supervise interns from the who work there seasonally, Tennenbaum said.

This is not the first time the Forest Service has leaned on better-resourced state and local agencies to manage federal land. The agency has been discussing a similar arrangement in Glenwood Springs, where it aims to grant a 20-year-long special use permit to Colorado Parks & Wildlife for management of Sweetwater Lake. The Forest Service expects to release the draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment later this summer or early fall, Boyd said.

Ultimately, Tennenbaum hopes Pitkin County receives the special use permit so that Maroon Bells remains a hallmark of Colorado’s outdoor recreation scene for generations to come.

“We’re going to manage the Bells as a community, and we have so many community partners that are going to help us,” Tennenbaum said. “If the county can control the fees, raise enough fees to manage this area and start to deal with the millions of dollars of deferred maintenance, we’re going to be able to, as a community, manage this incredible place the way it should be managed.”

Visitors on e-bikes will be charged a $5 fee to enter the scenic area starting in May, which is the same fee motorcycle riders pay, the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release.

The number of people using e-bikes on Maroon Creek Road has “skyrocketed,” federal officials said, with more than 8,000 e-bikes entering the area last year, compared to 700 motorcycles.

People riding motorcycles, e-bikes and bicycles do not need a reservation to enter Maroon Bells, and most of the visitors using e-bikes rented them specifically to visit the scenic area, the forest service said.

E-bikes are already considered motorized vehicles under Forest Service policy. Nonmotorized bicycles can still access the scenic area for free.

More than 200,000 people visit Maroon Bells between mid-May and the end of October, most on a shuttle that costs $16 per person. The road to access Maroon Bells opens May 15, and reservations for parking and the shuttle can be made online.

Snowmass Falls Ranch, the largest inholding in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and the gateway to some of the area’s most coveted recreation and wildlife habitat, was acquired in a historic purchase by Pitkin County, in partnership with The Wilderness Land Trust, to protect it from development.

The 650-acre property sits just outside Snowmass Village, at the foot of the Elk Range, with a majority of the property within the boundaries of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

Originally established by Kate Lindvig, known as the “Cattle Queen of Snowmass,” during the original settlement of Aspen, the property was purchased by Pitkin County for $34 million from the previous landowners earlier this year using Open Space Program funds.

“This was a historic purchase for us,” said Dale Will, Acquisition and Special Projects director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. “That number is the largest amount we have ever spent on anything … but the property was a holy grail too. I’ve been working for Open Space for 26 years, and it had been weighing heavily on my mind the whole time as a property that needed to be protected.”

Will noted that purchasing the property, which was originally listed at $50 million in 2021 with no conservation easements or deed restrictions, was possible thanks to recently sold bonds and a $10 million loan from the Great Outdoors Colorado trust fund.

Since the purchase, Pitkin County and WLT have been working with the White River National Forest as the agency applies for Land and Water Conservation Funds to transfer property to public ownership as a National Forest, according to WLT Director of Marketing & Communications Margosia Jadkowski.

Read the full story from our partner at .

Having finished the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado and California’s Sierra Range — including Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48 states at 14,500 feet — the next stop for the renowned Spanish endurance athlete is Mount Shasta in northern California, near the Oregon border. His “States of Elevation” quest will finish on Washington’s Mount Rainier.

Jornet began the trip on Sept. 3 with an ascent of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. He climbed 56 Colorado fourteener summits in 16 days, traveling between peaks by foot or bicycle. According to a news release sent by his public relations team, he covered 1,207 miles in Colorado, 738 on bike and 469 on foot, with 256,000 feet of climbing. He averaged four and a half hours of sleep per night.

“The mountains are stunning, and the wilderness is truly special,” Jornet said of Colorado in a statement for the news release. “During the first two weeks, the weather was really tough, which added an extra layer of challenge. The first week I felt terrible — probably because of the jet lag and the altitude — but then I started to feel better and better, even if the weather kept being difficult.

“In those first two weeks, we only had three days of sun, which made things harder,” he added. “Colorado, it����ap the biggest section of the project, with the most summits and some of the hardest navigation, so it was very exciting.”

His route in Colorado included:

• The so-called “LA Freeway,” a highly technical 35-mile segment on the Continental Divide from Longs Peak south to the Arapaho Peaks, 12 miles northwest of Nederland
• “The Elk Traverse,” another extremely technical section that included seven fourteeners in the Aspen area, including the Maroon Bells
• “Nolan’s 14,” a traverse linking 14 fourteeners in the Sawatch Range from Mount Massive near Leadville to Mount Shavano
• The Crestone Group, consisting of four fourteeners in the Sangre de Cristo Range
• Thirteen peaks in the San Juan Range, including Uncompahgre and Mount Sneffels

The hiker injured a knee while on the Crater Lake Trail between Maroon Lake and Crater Lake, a popular hike that starts about 30 minutes from downtown Aspen, according to a from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

The out-and-back trail spans about two miles in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area.

Sheriff’s officials said the injured hiker texted the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center via satellite at 12:12 p.m. Tuesday. Dispatchers then alerted .

The first rescuers arrived at the trail in 50 minutes to start stabilizing the injured hiker, sheriff’s officials said.  More volunteers arrived shortly after and carried the hiker out to a waiting ambulance.

All 19 rescue personnel were out of the field by 2:45 p.m., according to the release.

Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said people should “,” which includes knowing their limits, picking the right trail, having an emergency plan and and supplies.

The climber, who has not been publicly identified, fell and broke a leg in steep and unstable terrain less than 200 feet from the mountain’s 14,022-foot summit, according to a from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

and the sheriff’s office responded to an emergency SOS sent by the climber at about 9:15 a.m. Sunday, sheriff’s officials said.

The climber used a two-way satellite messaging device to communicate with rescue teams, according to the news release.

“Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind all adventurers that traveling with a partner and having the ability to communicate (while not relying on cellular coverage) in the mountains can help expedite a rescue in case of emergency,” officials stated in the news release.Mountain Rescue Aspen officials activated a team, which helped arrange a Colorado National Guard to rescue the climber, sheriff’s officials said.

An off-duty member of New Mexico-based was also climbing in the area and helped the injured climber until Colorado rescuers arrived, sheriff’s officials said.

The injured climber was successfully hoisted off the mountain just before 1 p.m. Sunday and flown to a nearby airport, where an ambulance was waiting to take the climber to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.

All 22 members of the Mountain Rescue Aspen team were out of the field by 4:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

Mountain Rescue Aspen sent 14 volunteers to locate the climber after the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a call about the incident, which occurred around 10 a.m. Wednesday at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet, according to a press release.

Authorities said the climber, whose name and gender were not made public, had been climbing solo and that the fall had been witnessed by another climber, who was able to call for help on a cell phone. The climber sustained multiple injuries in the fall, the press release said.

Mountain Rescue Aspen used a hoist rescue on the 14,163-foot-tall peak and flew the victim to Aspen Pitkin County Airport, where an ambulance took the climber to Aspen Valley Health. The injured climber was removed from the mountain at 12:22 p.m. The climber’s condition upon arrival at the hospital is not clear.

All rescue personnel were out of the field by 2:41 pm.

The hikers had summited the 14,130-foot mountain earlier that day, but got stuck on their way back when they tried to take a shorter route down the mountain’s north face, according to a from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

“There is not an alternate route down the north face of Capitol Peak,” sheriff’s officials stated in the news release. “If there was a safe shortcut, it would be the standard route.”

Capitol Peak in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness west of Aspen has numerous drop-offs and loose, crumbling rock, according to the sheriff’s office.

Five climbers died on the peak in 2017 alone, sheriff’s officials said.

14ers.com, a website dedicated to assessing all of Colorado’s fourteeners, as a four out of five. is reserved solely for rock climbing routes with no hiking.

“This is the most difficult of the standard 14er routes,” the peak’s entry states. “It’s long, tedious and dangerous. … Climbers have died here.”

Sheriff’s officials said the North Carolina hikers called for help at about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Neither of the hikers was injured, but sheriff’s officials told them to stay where they were until rescuers arrived early the next morning, according to the news release.

A helicopter picked up two hoist-rescue technicians from Mountain Rescue Aspen at about 6 a.m. Wednesday and flew toward the peak, sheriff’s officials said.

Lightning in the area and early morning snow briefly delayed the search, but the aerial team was able to find the two stranded hikers and lift them into the helicopter, according to the sheriff’s office.

The helicopter flew in from the Colorado Army National Guard High-Altitude Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, about 60 miles north of Capitol Peak.

“Capitol Peak is not a ‘walk up’ peak, it is a technical climb,” sheriff’s officials stated in the release. “Climbers need to carry proper gear, which includes food, water, a helmet, a communication device and bright-colored, warm clothing. Climbers should be prepared for changing weather conditions.”

The iconic 6-mile roundtrip hike is in a red-ribboned rock formation in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness (which are actually in Arizona, near the Utah border). But because of its delicate nature, would-be visitors have to enter a daily lottery to get a permit, helping limit the number of people tramping over the sandstone. The in-person lottery has since been replaced by a daily online lottery that is monitored by a “mobile geofence system,” meaning you have to be nearby to fill it out. There is also an advance lottery four months out.

It wasn’t my lucky day, though, and the trip is still a goal.

The Wave may be one of the oldest (since the 1980s) and most familiar examples of land managers instituting a system to protect special places from excessive use, but it����ap not alone. Perhaps thanks in part to social media, some spots are just too popular for their own good.

Below is a list of some of the best and most famous lotteries. It’s by no means complete, and you can find more under the “permits” tag at .

UTAH/ARIZONA

The Wave in Coyote Buttes North

As mentioned above, if you want to hike the Wave, plan to spend some time in the BLM office in Kanab, Utah; that’s where you’ll go to pick up the permit and attend a safety lesson. Understand more about the process at . If you strike out with The Wave, you can still have a pretty epic day of hiking in this area, though. We ended up at nearby White Pocket. You must have a high-clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead as it is on unimproved roads with sand drifts. Or, speak to the experts at the BLM about how to get to the trailhead or hire a local guide. Other hikes with groovy natural formations in the area include the Sand Caves and Red Canyon Slot.

Angels Landing in Zion National Park

As someone with a fear of heights, I can’t understand the appeal of Angels Landing, but lots of other people do, which is why it is so popular. This 5-mile hike includes narrow strips of rock with sheer drops on both sides. The payoffs are 360-degree views and bragging rights.

To obtain a permit, go to the , and pay a $6 non-refundable fee to enter the lottery up to seven days in advance for up to six people at a time. You will be redirected to recreation.gov, which manages all permits. If you score a permit, you’ll pay $3 per person to do the hike. Note that due to limited cell phone service, you need to print or download the permit before coming to the park. Hiking choices are limited to the next day (not the day of) or a week in advance. Getting to the trailhead requires taking a shuttle, so check the schedule or you’ll miss your time slot.

Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park

In 2006, the National Park Service switched from a waitlist to a lottery for noncommercial rafting permits on the portion of the Colorado River that snakes through the Grand Canyon. In season, about 450 permits are awarded for 12 to 25-day raft trips. Before the lottery system, the waitlist was exceeding 25 years for some boaters!

This is a “weighted lottery” where a person’s previous experience — or lack thereof — is factored in. This is not a trip for novices, so the permitting process includes meeting park service standards for the skills to raft this river.

Once you get , know that it can’t be traded, deferred, or changed. And bring your wallet — the lottery application fee is $25, a river permit costs $90 per person, and an entrance fee is $20 per person. There is also a trip deposit of $200 to $400.

Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon

The Havasupai Indian Reservation is in Havasu Canyon, which is part of the Grand Canyon. Supai Village is only accessible by foot or horseback (or mule), and no day hiking is allowed. Depending on your final destination, the village or campground, it’s an 8- to 10-mile hike down into the canyon and along the bottom. Temperatures can exceed 115 degrees in summer.

The attraction here is the icy blue waters that tumble across red rocks, including Havasu Falls. Devastating floods wrecked the area in 2024, but it has since reopened and is still a stunning locale that attracts many more requests to visit than it can handle.

Which is why there is a lottery system; and aren’t managed by the National Park Service.

If you aren’t going to set up your own camp, you can make a reservation at the lodge in Supai Village. There are detailed rules for when you can hike in and back out based on your reservation dates, along with a need to have a group leader and to bring your paperwork. Another option, which I used with success, was to go with a commercial guide who secures the permits so you don’t leave it up to chance. You will be camping with your group, and not staying in the lodge, which means carrying more gear on your hike.

For the lucky ones who score a permit for a non-commercial excursion, don’t expect to buy any supplies in Supai Village. Pack in everything you need, and pack everything back out with you.

COLORADO

Maroon Bells

The most photographed destination in Colorado, the twin peaks of the Maroon Bells, outside of Aspen attract 300,000 visitors every year, according to tourism officials in the area.

Once you’re here, there are many hiking options, from easier ones like the one-mile loop around Maroon Lake to harder trails, like the 11-mile one-way trek across 12,500-foot West Maroon Pass to Crested Butte.

Unless you are riding your bicycle here, during peak months. Reservation costs range from $10 to $20, depending on whether you’re parking your own vehicle or taking the shuttle. Note that there is a fee between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to get picked up by a friend, and all commercial ride services are not allowed for drop off or pick-up.

Much harder to get are backcountry permits for the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, which go on sale each year and allow access to the famed Conundrum Hot Springs, as well as Capitol Lake, Crater Lake and the Four Pass Loop.

Hanging Lake

Tucked inside the White River National Forest in Glenwood Canyon is Hanging Lake, a thanks to its exquisite beauty.

The trail is only a little over a mile long, but it is steep and rocky. The reward for your efforts is a waterfall pouring gently into clear, bluish-green lake. A wooden walkway hugs the side of the lake and provides a clear place to remain on land, not in the tempting cool waters.

What could be called a series of unfortunate events — overuse, wildfire, debris runoff — culminated in multiple closures of the trail in the past few years for repair and restoration. It’s now scheduled to reopen as of July 1, 2025. And reservations are required. There is a $12 per person permit cost; no dogs are allowed. .

CALIFORNIA

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Half Dome is one of the most recognized places in Yosemite National Park for its unique shape: one sheer face and three rounded sides, making it look like a dome cut in half.

The 400-foot climb to the top is one of the more sought-after experiences in the park, so there is a seasonal permit lottery system. The fixed cables that make this climb possible are put in each spring and removed in the fall, so access is limited.

There is a preseason lottery and then the daily lottery for two days in advance with six permits per application. Only 225 hikers are permitted per day through recreation.gov. The cost is $10 for each lottery application and each award hiker pays $10 for their permit.

A climbing harness is recommended, but not provided. This is not a guided experience so each hiker is responsible for their own safety.

TENNESSEE

Synchronous fireflies in Great Smoky National Park

Surprisingly, one of the most limited and dicey lotteries is the one to view the synchronous fireflies in Great Smoky National Park during eight days in June. Everything about this is limited, and then there are no guarantees that the wildlife will perform on cue.

The lottery for a vehicle reservation opens on April 28 at 10 a.m. EDT and closes by 8 p.m. on May 1. Less than 1,000 vehicles are allowed during the entire event, predicted to peak June 4-11. There is a $1 nonrefundable application fee and a $24 registration fee if you win a permit.

For those who do get a permit, there are strict guidelines about the lighting you bring with you, such as using a red flashlight rather than a bright cell phone light.